Thabeet spent the last two seasons glued to the bench in OKC, and the Sixers (his fifth team in six years) reportedly plan to waive him. Per the Oklahoman:

So it was a numbers game for Thabeet, with his departure opening up a roster spot and a bit more financial flexibility heading into the season. Thabeet was due $1.25 million next season, a contract that would have been guaranteed on Sept. 1. OKC is now around $2.9 million under the luxury tax, with its roster at 14.

In his two seasons in OKC, Thabeet became a fan favorite. The tallest player in the NBA always had a smile on his face, joking with the crowd and leading celebratory dances on the bench. But the problem was, he had a tough time getting off the bench. [...] Thabeet appeared in 66 games back in the 2012-13 season, averaging 11.7 minutes and 2.4 points. But last season, he was limited to only 8.3 minutes per night in 23 games, often logging a DNP, coaches decision.

The NBA has suspended OKC Thunder big man Hasheem Thabeet for one game, after he head-butted New Orleans Center Greg Stiemsma. From the press release: “The incident occurred with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Oklahoma City’s 105-102 loss to the Pelicans on Thursday, Oct. 17, at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. Thabeet will be suspended for the Thunder’s first 2013-14 regular season game in which he is eligible and physically able to play.”

The Championship-or-bust Oklahoma City Thunder are not giving roster spots away this season.

With such a deep and talented roster those minutes come with a price. You must earn your way into the rotation that currently leads the NBA at 21-4 overall.

Quietly signed to a three-year contract by General Manager Sam Presti this offseason, Hasheem Thabeet has cracked that rotation. He is earning both minutes and trust from his new team right now while adding depth to the OKC frontcourt.

Thabeet is averaging 12.3 minutes per game in support of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and the rest of the defending Western Conference champions through Wednesday.

Last season, Thabeet appeared in a total of 20 games combined as a member of both the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged only 6.9 minutes per night last year in total and less than eight minutes the year before that.

Heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thabeet has already exceeded that number with 23 games played to date.

“The practices here are different than the other teams that I’ve played on,” Thabeet told SLAMonline. “That’s not a knock on the other teams, it’s just a difference here in OKC. The level of competition is just higher, so is the intensity. Guys come in here every day to work.”

Four seasons after being selected second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, that competition has helped fuel Thabeet’s first double-double of his career. On November 26, Thabeet played 26 minutes against the Charlotte Bobcats scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

“I just want to come here and help the team,” Thabeet added. “It’s a blessing to be in this situation right now. To be with these coaches and this organization, I just want to do the best I can with my role and contribute where I can.

“What’s great about this group, with guys like KD and Russell and Perk, is that everybody does everything together. We hang out off-the-court and I think that carries over to the games.”

Thabeet is not only the tallest player on the team at 7-3, but he’s also someone who could be needed in a big moment as the season continues. Cole Aldrich served as that insurance big last season for the Thunder and he’s since moved on to Houston.

More than any other time in his NBA career, though, Thabeet seems to have found a place where he can embrace a role and be productive.

“I like it in OKC,” said Thabeet. “It’s like one big family, everyone is here doing their job and we help each other. Playing with guys like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, learning from guys like Kendrick Perkins, it’s just going to make me better. Coach just tells me to do what you do, just wants me to bring energy to the team, have fun and compete with the guys.”

Thabeet will never be that superstar he was once thought to be with the second overall pick. But don’t sleep on the likelihood that his role only increases in OKC.

In the process, the native of Tanzania, Africa continues to inspire a generation back home who’s now able to follow his new role with a winning team.

“I look at it as motivational for young guys back home, that they can dream and do this too, play basketball in the NBA. So every time I go back [to Africa] we look to do clinics and give back anyway we can,” Thabeet says.

Heading into Thursday’s game, Thabeet is on pace to set a career high in games played this year. He just might walk away with a ring too by season’s end.

After some beefing with James Harden in the first half of the Rockets/Thunder game last night, Hasheem Thabeet was tossed out of the game. The referees then bizarrely changed their minds, and re-inserted the big man into the contest.

The OKC Thunder have agreed to a 2-year contract with free agent big man Hasheem Thabeet, reports the Oklahoman: “The deal cannot officially be signed until the league’s free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 11. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known, but the contract, which will be fully guaranteed for both seasons, is believed to be a minimal salary, or roughly $880,000 in the first year of the contract. Thabeet will join his fourth team in four seasons after being drafted by Memphis in 2009. He was taken one spot ahead of Thunder guard James Harden, but the 7-foot-3 center has had a disappointing start to his professional career after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final two seasons at Connecticut. In 135 games, Thabeet has averaged 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots. Oklahoma City has been enamored with Thabeet since his college days and was widely believed to be strongly considering selecting him, if available, with the third overall pick. Memphis plucked Thabeet second overall in part because the Grizzlies thought Oklahoma City would take him if they didn’t. [...] The addition of Thabeet all but guarantees veteran center Nazr Mohammed will not return to the Thunder. If not, that paves the way for third-year center Cole Aldrich to step into the primary backup role behind starter Kendrick Perkins. Thabeet is expected to be the third-string center.”

At 25 years old, Andris Biedrins is—hypothetically—entering the prime of his career. Three seasons ago, Biedrins was emerging as one of the best pivots in the League, a 7-footer with world class athleticism, a double-double machine and a crucial piece of the Warriors epic 2007 Playoff run.

Then things got weird.

A series of injuries combined with a drop in confidence resulted in his game taking a meteoric plummet into the world of ‘lost potential.’

But now the Houston Rockets believe they can resurrect the Latvian big man.

“For Warriors fans, who have been hoping for Biedrins’ departure for some time, that means the Warriors just may be able to move Biedrins. That was once thought to be impossible considering the drastic decline in his production and the three years, $27 million he has left on his contract. But apparently, Houston is a taker.

[..]

I’ve been told the Rockets have offered Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill. Haven’t confirmed if they were offered as a package, but the figures add up.”

Seven-footers with Biedrins’ skill set are far and few between, and if he’s able to get his body and his mind back on track, he could return to his days of corralling loose rebounds and being an active defensive presence. With a limited supply of agile big men in the League, there will certainly be teams willing to take on his contract and attempt to resurrect his talent.

The Warriors appear to be interested in moving their 7-foot center Andris Biedrins, but though he may be on the block, they aren’t giving him up for cheap. Via the Contra Costa Times: “Was able to confirm reports by the Houston Chronicle that the Rockets are indeed interested in acquiring Warriors center Andris Biedrins. Houston, with Yao Ming and Chuck Hayes as their expected center options next season, are in need of a big man since Yao’s ability to play again is still suspect and Chuck Hayes, while valiant and completely useful, is probably not a starting center on a playoff team. For Warriors fans, who have been hoping for Biedrins’ departure for some time, that means the Warriors just may be able to move Biedrins. That was once thought to be impossible considering the drastic decline in his production and the three years, $27 million he has left on his contract. But apparently, Houston is a taker. So why is Biedrins still a Warrior you ask? While this may seem the perfect answer to the Warriors’ ills, Golden State, according to multiple sources, are not at all enamored with the Rockets’ offer thus far. I’ve been told the Rockets have offered Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill. Haven’t confirmed if they were offered as a package, but the figures add up. Thabeet, a former No. 2 overall pick, is widely regarded as someone who simply not good enough to play in the NBA and probably won’t be. There is still some hope for Jordan Hill, but he’s got a Post-It note on his back that says ‘stiff.’ Bottom line for the Warriors: that’s not enough.”

According to the Commercial Appeal, Memphis and Houston had a serious chat about making a deal involving the veteran forward and the young big man: “The Grizzlies had serious discussions Wednesday with the Houston Rockets regarding a proposed deal that would swap second-year center Hasheem Thabeet for forward Shane Battier. A deal would hinge on Memphis’ willingness to also include a future first-round draft pick in its bid to reunite with Battier. The Griz failed in their initial attempt to acquire Battier earlier this year and may try to enlist a third team to avoid sending the Rockets a pick. Battier, who was Memphis’ first draft pick in 2001, played five seasons for the Griz, averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. He was traded to the Rockets in July 2006 in the deal that brought Rudy Gay to the Grizzlies. Memphis’ 2011 first-round selection — albeit lottery protected — is already owed to the Utah Jazz as compensation in a trade for Ronnie Brewer last season. Griz general manager Chris Wallace wouldn’t confirm nor deny specific trade talks. However, he said the organization doesn’t feel any pressure to make a deal.”

Memphis is still trying to unload the big fella, reports the Commercial Appeal: “What’s the likelihood that the Griz will trade [OJ] Mayo, with nine days until the NBA’s trade deadline? The Griz don’t have any front-burner deals on the table for Mayo even though they have received calls inquiring about his availability. Although there is no evidence to suggest the Griz are actively trying to trade Mayo, the situation is fluid and could change as the deadline draws near. Second-year center Hasheem Thabeet remains the only piece Griz management is including in aggressive trade talks.”

The Grizzlies are looking to make moves prior to the trade deadline, according to the Commercial Appeal, and Hasheem Thabeet could find himself on the way out the door (though the team, of course, denies anything being on the table): “Team executives, who had insisted the current group would have until the All-Star break to find a rhythm, will consider potential trade offers depending on how the Griz handle the next two weeks. Sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking said Wednesday that the Grizzlies’ 12-17 record has been deemed unacceptable. The team might look to shake up the roster if it can’t put together a significant winning streak and solidify a place in the Western Conference playoff race. To that end, 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet is no longer unavailable. The Griz had resisted offers for the second-year player. But Thabeet is now being viewed as an asset most likely to be traded in order to augment the Grizzlies. NBA.com first reported that the Griz were shopping Thabeet more than a week ago. Although no deals were imminent at the time, it wouldn’t be surprising if Thabeet is moved in the coming weeks. Griz general manager Chris Wallace declined to discuss potential deals and said the team’s trade activity has been overstated. ‘We are continuously talking to teams throughout the year. And it’s no different than the process of the other 29 teams,’ Wallace said. ‘Sometimes those conversations are very simplistic, and there’s nothing to them. Sometimes they’re serious. It’s the normal course of what’s out there. But we don’t feel we have to do deals right now. That’s how you end up making mistakes. You walk a fine line with being aggressive and seriously considering all of the options. We have quality players.’”

Weaving through cars on the Hollywood freeway, the topic of conversation is Allen Iverson.

Since being drafted by the Sixers in June, Evan Turner has heard his share of stories about The Answer. On our drive back to West Hollywood from his Li-Ning commercial shoot, Turner gives us some of the best. He’s animated as he recites stories from the back seat, all ending with an incredible punch line. Practice, money, relationships with coaches—the young man has some gems.

Brian Cupps, Li-Ning’s Director of Brand Initiative for Basketball, smiles as he steers the Lincoln Navigator through L.A.’s hectic traffic lanes. He teases Evan a bit. “Give it a year and we’ll see how you change on us, Evan,” he jokes.

Evan laughs it off. “You know I’m never going to change.”

**

Since joining the Li-Ning team a little over a year ago, Cupps and his family have lived in China. The experience has given him a ground level POV to witness the passion for the game of basketball in China. He believes that the game is more of a social vehicle in China, a result of the nation’s one-child policy. “The NBA has done an amazing job of branding themselves there and continuing to invest resources and time and energy to show more games,” he says. “I’ll walk into the office at 9:30 in the morning and there will be games on during the season. The speed of the Internet and the digital media age is important. All those kids are online, they’re blogging about it, they’re reading about their favorite players. They genuinely love the sport and social aspect of it. They’re as educated as the fans here and more in some instances. I think that is exciting and shows the upside of basketball from a global perspective. You bring a guy like Evan to China and see how many people know about him already, know his teammates. He hasn’t even really started to build himself or his brand over there yet.”

Following several decades of success in China, Li-Ning is hoping to build its brand in the US. In the past couple of years, they have inked several NBA players, including Baron Davis, Hasheem Thabeet and Shaquille O’Neal. The brand opened a flagship store in Portland, OR early this year and followed that up with the signing of Turner, college basketball’s top player last season and one of the most coveted prospects in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Turner and his agent David Falk connected with Cupps early on, helping smooth some of their concerns about partnering with a foreign company. For Turner, a trip to China helped reassure his decision to sign with Li-Ning. “I checked out the Li-Ning campus and met the owners,” Turner says. “I liked it all. I think it helped make me feel that everyone is going to work hard to make this thing work. It was super cool and everyone was really nice. Some cities feel like America and some spots seemed foreign to me. It’s definitely a blessing when you think about it. You grow up playing basketball and then end up in China doing a shoe deal.”

**

While he will clearly be marketed in China, Li-Ning is also hoping that Turner can help the brand break into the $2.4 billion US basketball footwear market. Much of that will depend on Evan’s NBA success and the brand’s marketing ability. Turner’s signature Li-Ning shoe will be available next season and the brand plans on using him in print and television advertising. Li-Ning recently dropped a hilarious viral video targeting US consumers starring Donnell Rawlings of Chappelle’s Show.

So far this season, Turner has started 12 games and is averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds per. He has struggled in his past three contests, scoring 5 total points while averaging 20 minutes per game in that span. The Sixers are currently 5-13, good enough for last place in the Atlantic. Prior to the start of the season, Falk insisted that Turner would be on a major learning curve through the All-Star break. “I want him to take the first two and a half months to really work quietly behind the scenes to integrate himself,” Falk says. “It’s not his team—he’s a rookie. Evan’s got to pick his spots. He has to be respectful of his teammates. Even though he was player of the year, he’s going to have to earn it the old fashioned way.”

Turner is extremely humble and committed to getting better. He chose to live a few minutes from the Sixers facility so he can spend the majority of his time there. When we visited in October, he was a few months removed from the flashing lights surrounding his brilliant college career and the NBA Draft. He told me that it wasn’t too long ago that he was in high school, hoping the cafeteria ladies at St. Joe’s would let him have some milk despite the fact that he had no money, having spent it on his daily commute to school.

Cupps believes in Turner and has a clear vision for Li-Ning basketball. “We want to be pursued,” he explains. “We want our products to speak to the level of performance and premium that the brand can be and wants to be. I think that will be the greatest testament to when we’ve made strong inroads. There are players hopefully similar to Evan and Baron and guys like that who truthfully sought out the brand because they recognize what we stand for and the products that we make for players that can enhance their performance. I don’t think we’re there yet today but that’s ultimately where we can get to. Seeing young talented ball players saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to strike a different path. I’m down with this company Li-Ning and their products.’ Making that distinction on their own, up front. That would be a great step forward.”

Be sure to check out the feature on Evan Turner and Li-Ning in SLAM 144. For more information on Li-Ning, visit li-ningusa.com

It goes without saying that basketball arenas are SLAM Mag’s natural habitat, but don’t get it twisted, all of us at your source for the best in basketball know how to blow off some steam after we push send on a feature or blog post. And since we were in Vegas, where parties are a necessity and not an option, well, we decided to be the masters of our own debauchery. So after keeping up with the unrelenting pace of the daily hoops schedule of the burgeoning NBA Summer League, your favorite hoops mag dove headfirst into celebratory lore by hosting an epic Cover Release/SL Wrap-Up party with G3 Jewelry and The V Firm PR (shouts to Rochelle Brown!) at Eve, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s posh nightclub in the newest and overwhelmingly luxe hotel on the Vegas strip, Aria.

Sure, one is bound to suspect a certain level of bias when I say this, but there is no conceit when I tell you that our shindig was kind of a big deal (cue the Kanye West track). Despite the crippling heat, scores of celebs like R&B songstress Chrisette Michele, pro footballers like former Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes and summer leaguers like Marcus Banks and Hasheem Thabeet poured into our VIP sections draped in bling, surrounded by waves of eye candy—with bottles popped—all while relished in the fact that their relentless pursuit of all things basketball paid off in a big way.

The whole place was teeming with party-goers by midnight, to where you could barely move without stepping on crispy Jordans and Gucci’s or spilling someone’s drink. Jermaine O’Neal, newly signed to the Boston Celtics, had a whole wall on one side of the club for himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to be in any pics, a request we gladly obliged because, well, it is Sin City and the “rule” must be obeyed when called upon.

I spied patrons reading or perusing SLAM while at their tables. The DJ shouted us out—to rapturous cheers, I might add—more times than I can count and the overhead flat screens flashed our logo and newest cover on a loop. Drinks flowed like the Nile and there were numerous comments from long-time readers about how they loved the mag and how they’d always loved the mag.

NBA and Summer League employees showed up in droves, doling out “attaboys” on the great party and thanked us for the invites. There was even a section of known video vixens, like Sakara Ross (featured in the newest KING magazine), raising champagne glasses, grooving to the beat of SLAM’s unmatched party sensibilities.

One of the unexpected highlights of the evening was the impromptu performance of a Michael Jackson impersonator. The whole club cheered him on as he proceeded to reenact some of the King of Pop’s most famous moves to a medley of his biggest hits. It was, in a word, a complete thriller.

By that next morning, the event likely produced countless hangovers, hookups and other phenomena we dare not mention here, but it was a raging success and in the annals of blockbuster jamborees, this was an affair Vegas won’t soon forget.

Deke wants to help Thabeet stay in the League and flourish, according to the Commercial Appeal: “Retired center Dikembe Mutombo sat courtside Wednesday night, putting a cap on a day mostly geared toward meshing with Grizzlies rookie Hasheem Thabeet. ‘He’s very interested in Hasheem,’ Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. ‘He wanted to come in and get together with Hasheem.’ Mutombo has served as a global ambassador for the NBA since he retired from the Houston Rockets in 2009. It is not uncommon for the former Defensive Player of the Year to visit different NBA cities throughout the season. It is believed, too, that the Griz might talk to Mutombo about working as a paid consultant in the offseason. Mutombo will spend a lot of time coaching Thabeet in the summer if the Griz have their way. Thabeet had dinner with Mutombo Tuesday night and the two shared their first extended conversation. ‘He was telling me the stuff he used to do when he played,’ Thabeet said. ‘I’ve never had a chance to talk to him like that. It was really good.”’

Ever since Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Hasheem Thabeet was sent down to the NBA Development League, much of the media has been found criticizing the Grizzlies’ selection of the young Tanzanian with the second overall pick in 2009. The criticism over his selection is warranted, especially considering that their backcourt can still be upgraded, despite improved play from starting point guard Michael Conley, Jr (and former first-round picks Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Williams). After all, OJ Mayo may very well be even better as a full-time point guard, or he would’ve been great while paired with rookie sensations Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings or Tyreke Evans (although ‘Reke holds the ball a lot and needs a lot of reps and touches to be super effective). Obviously, Thabeet going ahead of them is an issue, but getting sent down to the D-League? We all should be applauding! He’s not deteriorating on the bench like his big men brethren of yesteryear!

Fairly recently, Empty The Bench did a story on how famed NBA bust Darko Milicic has basically wasted much of his time in the League with bad play, a bad attitude, and a haughty, pretentious disposition. I do agree, in the sense that Darko did not carry himself well and, thus, has made himself an integral part of his failure to make himself more productive in the League so far, but I also present this scenario–had the D-League and NBA teams had the relationship that they do now, which allows the NBA teams more freedom in sending down its young players, teenage Darko might’ve been more weathered and more apt to work considering that he’d probably be getting more intense minutes and more concise instructions from coaches who actually would have been assigned to teach him (we know Larry Brown is probably the most inefficient educator/developer for newbies). The D-League also lacked the positive reputation in 2003 that it currently has now in 2010. For all we know, Mr. Milicic might have been a much more refined player looking for a top-level NBA contract beyond this year.

In Thabeet’s case, he was beat out by Grizzlies reserve center Hamed Haddadi, who has actually been a top competitor for Iran’s national team, and Thabeet wasn’t getting the game repetitions he’s needed to progress in his development, so is a D-League assignment so bad, really? I don’t think so. After all, getting comfortable with the team’s schemes and NBA-ish players is probably more encouraging for his confidence in the long run. Most times, with the emphasis of teaching players how to play the post in college becoming more of a mirage and less of a reality, if you’re a young center in the NBA, time is not on your side. If you’re like Tim Duncan was coming out of Wake Forest, it’s a non-issue, but most centers and power forwards need some minutes, teaching and encouragement–that’s what the D-League is for. You don’t have to worry about your contract if you’re a first-round pick, because it’s guaranteed; you don’t have to be concerned with how long you’ll be on the bench, because you’ll be playing major minutes, and you’ll be humbled further by the travel accommodations of the lower-tier professional basketball league.

If nothing else, Thabeet’s “demotion” should be encouraged–just think about how many players could have used a D-League send-down in past years: Roy Rogers, the 1996 1st-round pick out of Alabama could have used it. What about Michael Olowokandi? He surely could’ve gained some good knowledge. Reese Gaines, a combo guard out of Louisville in 2003, should’ve probably spent all of his first two years down there. Jeryl Sasser, was equally terrible with little to no reps in actual games. Consider the Chicago Bulls’ bumbling triumvirate of Stacey King, Brad Sellers and Luc Longley from collective drafts of the 80s and 90s…all great candidates for D-League duty, considering how average/sub-par they were (although to Longley’s credit, he was a championship-winning center and the most competent of the bunch playing in the triangle offense in Chicago).

The stigma with the D-League is, because it is technically a minor league, “real” NBA players don’t belong there, and some of that is somewhat fair to say, because after all, if you’re really good, you don’t really need to get play against lesser competition, right? But what if you’re going to be good and lack the experience to make a difference with the big boys, and you just need to play, period? The high schoolers (who David Stern has since prevented from being drafted into the NBA immediately out of high school) are extremely ideal in this setup. Korleone Young needed a D-League. Jonathan Bender, maybe…and two healthy knees. God knows Ndudi Ebi needed some time (and he got a little bit during his brief time in Minnesota). Even Al Jefferson would’ve been great there while he was in Boston in his rookie year. Jordan Farmer played three games in 24 hours, with the Los Angeles D-Fenders and the L.A. Lakers about four years ago.

I’m not saying the D-League will make a star of you, because ultimately, no matter how bad an organization is–by the way, never undervalue the importance of a good organization in talent development–the player has to make the grade and get better, because that’s on him…but, the D-League is showing that increased instruction time, focused attention on plays and team sets, and the grittiness of its player pool of paupers (relative to the NBA’s princes–or king, if you’re LeBron James) help to better shape the tools that young prospects need to form a more NBA-friendly game on the hardwood (see Jackson, Darnell; Brown, Shannon; Johnson, Amir; Watson, C.J.; Hairston, Malik).

Before going all Pee-Wee Herman-spastic on the Grizzlies, Thabeet, Tanzania and Thabeet’s whole family, it’s probably in our best interests to see what he does through the length of his rookie contract and talk then. We can all cross that bridge when he comes to it…if he comes to it.

Sandy Dover is a novelist/writer, artist and fitness enthusiast, as well as an unrepentant Prince fan (for real). You can find Sandy frequently here at SLAMonline, as well as at Facebook, Associated Content and Twitter.

Well, that was quick: “The Grizzlies recalled center Hasheem Thabeet from the Dakota Wizards, the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, general manager Chris Wallace announced today. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Thabeet averaged a double-double with 13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds along with 3.2 blocks in six games (four starts) with Dakota.”

Hasheem “The Dream” became the highest draft pick ever to be demoted down to the minors: “The Griz acknowledged then that Thabeet was a project, and more confirmation came Thursday. Thabeet, a 7-footer out of Connecticut, is the highest NBA draft pick ever assigned to the NBA’s Development League. Thabeet will join the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards, today before their game in Erie, Pa. The decision to send Thabeet to the D-League came just a few days after Griz coach Lionel Hollins announced that undrafted center Hamed Haddadi would get the backup minutes behind starter Marc Gasol. Before Wednesday’s victory over Washington, Thabeet seemed unfazed by his benching. ‘Me being the No. 2 pick doesn’t mean I have to go and contribute right away,’ Thabeet said. ‘There’s a reason they drafted me. I just have to work hard, get better and then one day be able to answer the call.”‘

The rook got a taste of the rigors of NBA life last night. Namely, his teammate Zach Randolph’s rock-like head: “Rookie center Hasheem Thabeet suffered a ridgeline fracture in his mandible — a bone in his lower jaw — when he appeared to collide with Zach Randolph’s head going for a rebound late in the first quarter. Play was stopped with 57.4 seconds remaining as Thabeet rolled around near the basket in obvious pain. He will not make the trip to Houston for the team’s game against the Rockets tonight, but his status will be day-to-day after that.”

The Bucks have the most international players with seven. The Bobcats, Kings and Raptors each feature five international players. Omri Casspi (Israel), Jonas Jerebko (Sweden) and Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania) are representing their countries for the first time on an NBA roster. France has the strongest representation with a record 10 players.

The following is a complete list of international players on ’09-10 NBA opening night rosters (both active and inactive):

A couple of months ago, when we sat down to start planning the 15th anniversary issue of SLAM, we knew we had to have David Stern involved in one way or another. Jordan, Kobe, AI and LeBron have been crucial to the development of basketball and, in turn, SLAM, over the last decade and a half. But David Stern has unquestionably been the most important figure in basketball over that period.

When I started here at SLAM, about eight years ago, we were still very much considered the black sheep of the NBA media horde. Over the last decade, though, we’ve somehow proved ourselves, to the point where I now have a vote in the NBA’s official post-season awards and we’ve developed enough mutual trust and respect with the League to where we’re now able to actually get the Commissioner of the NBA on the phone from time to time.

So a few weeks ago — actually, it was the morning after Kanye went all “I’ma let you finish…” on Taylor Swift — I got David Stern on the phone (after a few scheduling snafus) to talk about how the NBA has grown over the SLAM era. For the full story, check out SLAM 133 on newsstands now. In the meantime, here are some excerpts from our conversation…

DAVID STERN: Hey there. I’m sorry I’ve been pushing you around today.

SLAM: (Laughs.) I’m used to it. Have the NBA offices been buzzing about Kanye and the VMAs all morning? The Video Music Awards? Big topic here at the SLAM office.

DS: I was watching the final of the [US Open] women’s tennis last night. So I was not watching the VMAs.

SLAM: Oh, okay.

DS: VMA? MVA?

SLAM: No. Video Music Awards.

DS: And Kanye West said she didn’t deserve it?

SLAM: He said that Beyonce had the best video of the decade, and he said he was happy for Taylor Swift to win. The problem was that he did it during the middle of her speech; he ran up and took the microphone out of her hand and did it.

DS: Hmm. Alright. So…ask me anything.

SLAM: Well, we’re working on the 15th anniversary issue of SLAM…

DS: Congratulations!

SLAM: Thank you. I hope that doesn’t make you feel old.

DS: No. There are many other things that make me feel old, the least of which is SLAM.

SLAM: Good. So I just wanted to talk to you about some of the stuff that’s happened over the last 15 years in the NBA, in basketball and in SLAM’s lifetime. Fifteen years ago the main international guys in the NBA were like Kukoc, Petrovic had been here and now there’s — I’m sure you probably know the number better than I do — and now it’s all over the place.

DS: Well, I guess what I would say that…I went back and asked my guys to look — in 1994, three international players were drafted, one in the first round. Yinka Dare, drafted in the first round at number 14. Andrei Fetisov was from, it says here, Serbia Montenegro. And Zeljko Rebraca — those players were both drafted in the second round. Just to give you an idea. And by 2009, we had in the first two rounds, 15 international players — six in the first round, two in the top 10.

SLAM: Was there a conscious effort the NBA made to expand that way or look for those guys, or was it just, There’s good players, let’s get ‘em?

DS: I would say that in the last 20 years or so, the pursuit of talent has increased from being a domestic pursuit to being a global pursuit. That’s true in medicine, that’s true in engineering, that’s true in management, that’s true in manufacturing, and that’s true in sports. And, in some ways, I’ve tried to make the point that we’re not the leaders in that. Soccer, when you look at the makeup of a winning team — whether it be Manchester United or AC Milan — and you look at the transfer of players, soccer is the most global of sports at the elite, professional level. And what has happened is that, through our colleges and actually our prep schools, truth be told, the number of players who are coming in to prep schools and colleges from around the world — I don’t keep the numbers — but that’s gone up dramatically. So the college coaches are out there. In fact, I think when they see a guy who’s too young for college they recommend him to prep schools nearby or some high school. Then the athletic shoe and apparel companies are signing athletes all over the world, and have their own lists and invite international campers into the summer camps that they run. And our teams have begun employing scouts, multiple international scouts all over the world. So this was just a global search for talent that has seen a huge influx in international players, and it’s likely to continue. I remember reading about, it must have been three or four months ago, that this was going to be the slowest international draft ever. And yet we wound up with 15 players in the first two rounds. I’m gonna leave Howard Beck out of it. I laughed when I read it; I laughed the night of the draft because the teams are way ahead of everybody else, as they should be, because they are looking for players who can help them. And to connect that back, that growth has come — SLAM was born two years after the Dream Team, which elevated basketball to a very high level of relevance in the Olympic movement, and then set the stage for NBA to be televised in what are now 215 countries and 41 different languages. So you wound up with the players who were drafted this year; they were just coming of age. You know, the Dream Team was 17 years ago, and then we began televising games and the like. So I can’t tell you precisely how old Hasheem Thabeet is, but he was busy growing up and watching — whether it’s Hakeem Olajuwon, or Dikembe Mutumbo or Michael Olowakondi, you name it — and that continues to cause the game to grow and causes to expand not just our international audience, but the number of youngsters who are playing the game and admiring their stars, and the internet is actually going to drive that even more.

SLAM: I’ve talked to so many guys, from Yao to Dirk to so many of those international guys now, who tell me about when they were growing up and they would stay up all night to watch these guys play. But now, as you said, the internet kind of makes it so it’s on-demand.

DS: It is on-demand. Through NBA League Pass Broadband, you can watch without a satellite dish or even a television connection, if you can get wireless. Luc Mbah a Moute was the first player from Basketball Without Borders who went back; you know, he had been a camper there. People aren’t focusing on Africa quite as much, but when you look at Luc and Mbenga and Mutumbo, obviously, and Hasheem and Mohammed Sene and DeSagana Diop—

SLAM: Steve Nash.

DS: That’s South Africa, OK. But we give him credit for Vancouver.

SLAM: (laughs) I know.

DS: It’s interesting: there’s Africa, there’s Eastern Europe, there’s Western Europe, Latin America and Asia which complement the US, but clearly the global growth has been very robust during SLAM’s ascendancy to its current high and lofty status.

SLAM: It might sound like you’re bragging, and you might be, but hasn’t the NBA kind of been the elite of that among the American professional sports leagues?

DS: You know, if you go underneath you will see that there were a set of circumstances with which we had nothing to do that favored international growth for us. The Dream Team and the Olympics in ’92 were a step forward that we were invited to join, and we did. But basketball has been an Olympic sports since 1936, and that was a built-in sort of magnet for kids to be playing our game. And so we took advantage of things — and there were always important pockets of basketball, years and years ago. It’s interesting, it was very much Eastern European; the European Championships were usually in Yugoslavia, Russia, whatever. Two European Championships ago, it had gone from the Warsaw Pact to NATO: Italy, France, Germany and Greece, which was fascinating to me. That means Eastern and Western Europe are now basketball growth prospects. And yes, I think television helps it, but we really were able to attach ourselves to an Olympic sport that started in 1936, when the Olympics first housed basketball. China, which was closed, entered a team.

SLAM: Right, I remember that basketball had been introduced because there were Western missionaries or something like that there…

DS: Yes. I think at the turn of the century, not this one but the last one, China was playing basketball. So we really were able to plug into a network that, although maybe not supercharged, was certainly functioning and focusing on our game. And then we just were — you know the growth of television was a huge accelerant for us because all of these new networks outside of the US were looking for programming, and so even if they weren’t the most widely distributed networks, it nevertheless gave us a place to show our TV. And so, yes, we did plug into that. It is true that, I think we’ve played — I don’t even know whether it’s here; I did this for another interview — since 1987, something like over 90 games in 21 different cities outside the United States. In other words, we started playing the McDonald’s championship in Rome I think in ’89 or whatever…

SLAM: I think before that, there was one in Moscow when the Hawks went over there.

DS: That’s right. That was ’88. I was there, it was fun. Moscow, Lithuania and in Soviet Georgia, Tbilisi. You know, that was before the break-up of the Soviet Union. We actually played a regular season game in Tokyo in, I want to say ’91, between the Suns and the Utah Jazz. And so we responded to that, but we did that with FIBA. Then when we come to this season, my travel schedule includes London on October 6th, for Bulls-Jazz; Taipei on October 8th, with Pacers-Nuggets; Beijing on October 11th, the same two teams. And then we have a game in Madrid where the Jazz are going to be playing Real Madrid. And we’ve sent a D-League select team with some legends to play in the Philippines and Korea. And we just got back from Basketball Without Borders, which we did this year in South Africa and Mexico. And we have a preseason game in Monterrey, Mexico.

SLAM: Looking forward, how does all of this play into what the NBA is now?

DS: I think what we’ve learned is that being on the ground in places demonstrates a link to our fans, that we’re serious about talking to them and being there for them. That’s a big deal. And so, we’re trying to do that in the most efficient way possible, to tie in with clinics, three-on-three tournaments, exhibition games, regular season games, sending cheerleading squads, you name it. And we don’t have to do it alone. A shoe company or a drink company or a book company might send LeBron on a tour [of] Paris, Beijing or whatever. Kobe signs a trading card deal or another deal and he’s on the move. And so we work with these companies and that’s good because, first of all, it puts us in the marketplaces, and it promotes the game, which is the most important thing. We encourage the growth and success of local leagues. Anything that is good for the game is ultimately good for us. And then we come in and try to do the business behind it — more TV arrangements or better TV arrangements; we try to deal with sponsors; we have multiple internet sites in different languages, and marketing partnerships and other events. And so there are multiple ways that sports leagues monetize their business, and we need to do that. But the good news is that it becomes sort of a virtuous circle, because then we get great players who come from these places, and then when they play, there’s local interest in their home towns and countries — when Omri Casspi kicks off the season in Sacramento I think there’s gonna be a line of people watching in Israel; the good news is it’s a West Coast game and they’re eight hours ahead of us, so, in a funny kind of way, instead of getting up at three in the morning, they can get up at six in the morning. It’s just kind of interesting. And you know that when Hasheem Thabeet kicks it off, there’s gonna be a fair rise of household viewing in Africa, and that’s very exciting for us. Our fans domestically respond in a very positive way to it because it shows them international game with one question: Do you have game?

SLAM: Yeah, and the local fans get the international players on their teams, which makes the teams better and strengthens local support.

DS: The fans love them, you know. They’re loyal; they think they’re from their cities. And actually you understand that. At the US Open yesterday, the fans were rooting for Kim Clijsters against Caroline Wozniacki, and Roger Federer against anybody. So a Belgian and a Swiss were the darlings of the tennis set, and that’s true of basketball as well.

SLAM: I’m gonna make an awkward segue here, but speaking of the US Open: After seeing Melanie Oudin, does seeing a 17-year-old being the darling of the sports world right now make you rethink the age limit, any of that stuff?

DS: Actually, I think she’s not allowed to appear in more than a certain number of events.

SLAM: I think you’re right.

DS: She’s limited. No, I don’t think so.

SLAM: Looking back now, the last 15 years, do you think globalization is the most important NBA development from the last 15 years?

DS: It hasn’t always been during that time because we were still in the process of continuing our growth. If you look at us, we moved into new buildings. When the Brooklyn building gets completed, every NBA team will be in a new or completely renovated building sine 1987. Much of that took place during the lifetime of SLAM.

SLAM: Yeah. Do you mean “if” the Brooklyn building gets completed?

DS: “When” the building gets completed.

SLAM: (laughs) Ok, I was just making sure.

DS: And, number two: We went through a growth in our television. The cable was surging, and most of our teams have these very robust local and regional cable deals which have been cemented. And on a network level, we got to a place where we are now just finishing the first year of an eight year television arrangement that sees us with ABC, ESPN and TNT.

SLAM: And you kinda took a hit for that, when the League signed that deal, about how it was gonna be on cable not one of the three major networks.

DS: Right. That was before ESPN signed Monday Night Football and the Bowl Championship Series, and TNT/TBS signed Major League Baseball and the Championship Series. Yeah, we took a lot of heat for that, but it was clearly the wave. So really, with new buildings, with robust television arrangements and with this current generation of spectacular stars and youngsters, augmented in very large measure by international players and, really, the current Hall of Famers who are not so young but are great—whether it’s Shaq or Tim Duncan or Kobe, etc.—we’re doing great domestically even in difficult times. I expect we’ll be playing to 90-percent capacity with excellent television arrangements. As a result, out growth would seem to be in the digital realm and in the international realm. And that’s what we see. Of course with key magazines covering our sport…

SLAM: (laughs) Of course! Do you have any advice or good wishes for SLAM before we go?

DS: I’m a reader, believe it or not. I actually have a subscription. And I think you have to maintain your irreverence and expand your online appetite.

OK, tired and run-down here, so much so that I didn’t even make it to Steve Nash’s soccer game tonight. HOWEVA!, last night I went to the New Era/EA Sports/Blake Griffin party at the New Era flagship store, though I didn’t get to speak to Blake. (And I wasn’t really trying to, considering Cub had him locked.) Then today I went out to the Media Day stuff, and I videoed that experience.

But first, quickly, the Hawks and Warriors are close to making a trade. The Hawks would move Speedy Claxton and Acie Law, who played about 20 minutes combined last season, to Golden State in exchange for Jamal Crawford. As weird as this deal sounds, I think it works for Atlanta, for several reasons.

Now, I am also assuming that the Hawks wouldn’t trade for Crawford and then re-sign Mike Bibby. You don’t have a guy making $9 million a year chilling on the bench. (Well, the Hawks don’t do that.) So my guess — and this is only a guess — is that the Hawks are bringing in Crawford and then spending the $5 million they save on Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia. And then with the 19th pick tomorrow they’ll draft a point guard.

Again, that’s just my initial guess. If that’s what the Hawks are doing, here’s why I like this move:

1. The Hawks are basically giving away dead weight and getting in return a guy who can play the 1 or the 2. Yes, Claxton and Law are expiring contracts next summer, but we don’t need two guys not playing taking up cap space. And Law and Claxton were not going to play on the Hawks this season.

2. Crawford isn’t much of a defender, which is what earns one playing time in the Mike Woodson regime. Then again, Crawford is a better defender than Mike Bibby. You, my reader, whoever you are, are likely a better defender than Mike Bibby.

3. Crawford’s best asset is his ability to go one-on-one and break guys down off the dribble. And that’s pretty much all the Hawks do on offense, so he’ll fit right in.

4. Crawford isn’t much of a ballhandler, but Bibby wasn’t really either. As long as Jamal can get the ball up the floor and get the Hawks into their offense, that’s all they need. Because they’re going to go one-on-one eventually anyway.

The one area where the Hawks lose ground is in leadership. One of the Hawks players once told me that the one thing Bibby brought the day he showed up was “swagger,” and that helped push the Hawks to a higher level. I’m not sure if Joe Johnson has that in him, and I don’t know that any other current Hawks do either. So maybe we can sign a vet/locker room guy.

Then again, this isn’t a done deal. Until it is, we’ll wait.

I’ll be posting this year’s Draft hats contest shortly on the homepage. In the meantime, here’s the video I took today at the 2009 NBA Draft media day…

Never believe what the blogs are saying, kids: “After learning late Friday that Thabeet canceled his visit to Memphis because of a ‘shoulder injury,’ the Grizzlies dispatched executives and coaches to Los Angeles for a meeting with the 7-3 center out of Connecticut. Griz general manager Chris Wallace, scouting boss Tony Barone Sr., head coach Lionel Hollins and assistant coach Johnny Davis hopped an afternoon flight on Saturday and headed for Hollywood. They spent about three hours in Los Angeles and returned to Memphis late Saturday night.”

Playing at their home away from home, the Villanova Wildcats treated their fans to an impressive 89-69 victory over UCLA to advance to the Sweet 16, ending Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya’s run as the winningest class in UCLA history.

If Villanova continues to play its brand of basketball, the Sweet 16 will just be another step along the way. The Wildcats dominated in the paint, set the tone on the glass and punished the Bruins for their mistakes.

If the game had to be summed up by one play, it would be Dwayne Anderson’s all-out defensive effort with 4:43 to play. Collison hauled in a rebound and got out on the break. He neared the Villanova three-point line when Anderson, sprinting from behind, dove head-first at the ball and knocked it out of Collison’s hand. Villanova was leading by 22 at that point.

“I’m disappointed that this is our last game of the year,” said UCLA coach Ben Howland. “It’s not the way we would like to have gone out.”

Following the UCLA game, the University of Connecticut welcomed head coach Jim Calhoun back from the hospital with a convincing 92-66 win over Texas A&M. A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien combined for 50 points to lead the Huskies who appear to be peaking at just the right time.

“For anyone to question our No. 1 seed, I think we answered those questions by playing hard and showing people that we can beat good teams,” Price said. “It wasn’t our goal to come in and try to blow teams out or show anybody up. We just wanted to come out and play as best as we could play, and we’ve done that these first two games.”

The way UConn took care of business in Philly, the team should like its chances next week against Purdue.

Day 3 over. Next stop: Boston.

NOTES:

– American University gave Villanova a necessary wakeup call. The urgency with which the Wildcats played last year as the underdog returned to Jay Wright’s squad on Saturday.

– Collison is one of the country’s top defenders. He moves his feet well and has great instincts. With his reliable ball-handling skills his basketball career in America is far from over. He’s also a capable scorer.

– UCLA take note: You’re not going to win many games in which you give up 89 points.

– I’m happy for Jason Colenda. During last year’s Tourney I wrote an article for USA Today about end-of-the-bench players at top schools. I asked Colenda why he chose to walk on to the Villanova team when he probably could have starred at a mid-major. He told me: “I know if I made different choices, I could be in other places, maybe having my shining moment, having my name on ESPN. But it’s not about that for me. I love it, because I got a great group of guys who care about each other. That’s as gratifying, having that team connection, as getting the opportunity to hit the shot of a lifetime.” With under 30 seconds to play, he hit two free throws – his first points in a Villanova uniform – to hit the shots of a lifetime.

– Stanley Robinson has serious hops. His ability to play above the rim must be a serious distraction to the Huskies’ opponents.

– It’s scary to think how good Connecticut would be with Jerome Dyson. His teammates estimated that with him in the lineup, they probably would have posted more than 130 points against Chattanooga. Jerome, thanks for keeping the playing field more level.

– Before entering the court, Connecticut’s pre-game ritual is awesome. They huddle around Jeff Adrien who riles them up by slapping at a basketball and conducting repetitive whoops, screams and chants. They finish in unison with “Husk-iiiiiies!” On his approach to the ritual, Adrien, the team’s most boisterous personality, explained that he just makes a lot of noises that you would otherwise not know existed.

Before I begin, I need to apologize. I don’t know what to do right now. I am so happy and tired and jacked up and overwhelmed and bewildered and drunk off of Syracuse love.

Final score, Syracuse 127, UCONN 117 6OT.

Yes, SIX overtimes.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt like this. I’m like KG when something good happens and he looks drunk out of his mind. That’s what I feel like.

I know this is an NBA recapping column. It is also a basketball column. SLAM is basketball.

Last night, the Lakers defeated the Spurs and the Cavs took down the Suns, but my heart, eyes, ears and mind were focused solely on one thing: Syracuse vs. UCONN.

If you did not see this game, I feel for you. It was the gutsiest performance I’ve seen from two teams in a really, really, really long time.

I knew I loved Flynn and these boys, but I didn’t expect tears to come as this game was winding down and the players started celebrating, struggling to even stand up. Yup. I know.

Okay. I’m going to break this down with stats and facts, because I’m not sure I can even string paragraphs together coherently right now. Then hopefully I will have calmed down enough to fill you in on the NBA. Oh yeah, I’ve got shootaround tomorrow a.m. @ 10. That should be fun.

Three players logged 60-plus minutes of action, that’s ridiculous. Flynn played a game-high 67 minutes; Devendorf and UCONN’s AJ Price each had 61. That means Flynn had played over 100 minutes in less than 24 hours. And he will be playing some more as Syracuse plays against West Virginia tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

Cuse guard Justin Thomas played 7 minutes, which isn’t that remarkable, until you realize that Thomas averaged 2.3 minutes per game this season, all in garbage time. This was a win that came from digging deep.

Way back at the end of regulation, a broken play on Cuse’s final possession ended up with Devendorf shooting a three at the buzzer, draining it to give Cuse the 74-71 victory. Devo jumps on the scorer’s table, his teammates flock him, the crowd is going crazy. The #20 team has just taken down the #4 team.

Or have they? After the refs went through replay after replay, they waved the shot off and we went into overtime.

Imagine how emotionally draining that must have been; to think you’ve won the game, to be celebrating with your teammates, with all that weight off your shoulders, only to realize that shot was no good and you’ve got to go back to battle for another five minutes. Another five minutes that ultimately stretches into 30.

In the first five overtimes, Syracuse never held a lead. Not once. Yet overtime after overtime, they found a way to tie it up and prolong their chances to win.

After going down six in the third overtime, they came back. Fourth overtime, they came back, same as the fifth. In the sixth, it was Andy Rautins who knocked down a three to give the Orange their first lead since regulation – about two hours before.

That shot was a back-breaker for the Huskies. Cuse kept pushing and found a way to outscore UCONN 17-7 in the final five minutes of the 70-minute contest.

I know a lot of people are probably going to say the game was sloppy and downright bad in the final overtimes, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is the grit, the guts, the love and desire that these guys showed last night. From both teams.

When shots clanged off the rim, when guys couldn’t get their legs under them to go up for a rebound, I reveled in it, rather than rolled my eyes. Because I know they’ve given everything. Emotionally and physically, every ounce of them is on that floor.

I’m not a person who will compare the college game to the NBA, because I love them both separately and for different reasons. But during the tournament, there is something so special, so sacred about these guys playing their hearts out, for each other and for the love of the game.

And that’s what it was all about last night. Even when cramps set in, fatigue had come and gone six times over and guys were physically unable to stand up during any extended stoppage of play, still the light shines bright, and it is the most beautiful light a true basketball fan can ever hope to see.

Running on fumes, playing solely on heart – and it’s just the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

It was one for the ages and perhaps, the best game I’ve ever seen.

Tell me, what were the most amazing performances you’ve ever seen? Not necessarily a playoff game or championship clinching game, but just the gutsiest performance by an individual or team, NBA or NCAA.

This one ended up reminding me of MJ in game five, Bulls/Jazz ’97. I know, these guys were not sick, they are not the greatest ever, and it wasn’t an NBA finals game, but the looks on their faces made me pause and think of MJ and then I felt thankful all over again.

I love this game!

Okay, now, onto the NBA action:

Bron with another triple-double. MVP?

Chris Webber thinks so and can I just say, it is so wonderful to have him join the guys on Inside. He’s fantastic as an analyst.

JRich attempting to do a 360 dunk in the fourth Q of a close game in Phx? To quote Russ, “If he played for San Antonio, he’d be dead right now.” Yeah, I don’t think Pop would take to well to that.

Okay. Thanks for sticking with me. I know I kind of hijacked my column here today. I’ll try to stay on topic from here on out. I was told I had too much of the Lakers yesterday. Well, here’s an overdose of Orange Crush. Just for today, anyway. They deserve it.

And, if UCONN is your team, sorry about the extended Cuse love, be proud of your team, those guys, every single one of them, were amazing.

One more note on Cuse; I thought Paul Harris was going to dislocate his shoulder or at the very least, damange his rotator cuff when he attempted a dunk in the sixth OT (I think it was the sixth), and was rejected by the rim, badly. He ended up getting his own rebound though, and finishing with an and-1.

What a wild night of basketball.

LA Lakers 102 San Antonio 95

The Lakers took down the Spurs in San Antonio 102-95, thanks to a blistering hot opening quarter that saw the Lakers go up 35-17 after the first 12 minutes of action. While the Lakers would cool down and the Spurs would finally settle into an offensive rhythm somewhere around the middle of the third quarter (thanks to Tony Parker, finally getting into a groove), it was ultimately too late for San Antonio who killed themselves with their free throws. San Antonio outscored LA 32-25 in the third and had what was an 18-point lead cut down to single digits for the start of the fourth. They would continue to get close, as close as two, but every time they had a chance to get closer, they’d miss a free throw. For the game, the Spurs shot just 8-16 from the line while LA was solid at 12-15. Down the stretch, the Lakers were just a little too efficient for the Ginobili-less Spurs, despite a season-high 25 points from Michael Finley. Parker also finished with 25 to go with 9 assists as Tim Duncan scored 16 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol who each scored 23 points while Gasol also added 11 boards and Lamar Odom added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Cleveland 119 Phoenix 111

Almost ten years to the day since the last time they won in Phoenix, LeBron James led the Cavs to victory in Phoenix, delivering the Suns their sixth straight loss. While the Cavs led 63-62 at the half and the game was close throughout, the Suns faded fast in the fourth as Cleveland outscored them 30-18. A crucial point of the game was during a breakaway when Jason Richardson opted for the 360-dunk. LeBron has been challenged by the Cavs coaching staff to get the “chase down” block on guys who are in the open court and last night he did just that, stopping JRich’s dunk attempt and firing up the Cavs in the process. From there, the Cavs were able to stretch their lead and go on to the victory. Besides his block, Bron also finished with yet another triple-double. He’s wild. He finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, adding 3 steals and 3 blocks as well. Mo Williams added 30 points and Sasha Pavlovic added 16 off of the bench as the Cavs connected on 17 three pointers as compared to only four for the Suns. Matt Barnes led the Suns with 21, Steve Nash had 20 points and Grant Hill added 15 in the loss.

No, Hasheem Thabeet is not standing in an abnormally cramped hallway; he’s 7-3. The big man entered UConn as an extremely raw talent still getting a feel for the game. When he leaves in June 2009 to enter the NBA, he’ll be infinitely more polished, still 7-3, and the apple of many NBA team’s eyes. — Adam Fleischer